Each year in the NFL, a handful of teams breakout and shockingly find success, but the opposite is true for others. Being a breakout team feels like a dream come true, as those teams prove the doubters wrong and suddenly find themselves right in the middle of a playoff push.
In 2026, there are bound to be a series of breakout teams just based on how some of them went about the 2026 NFL Offseason. A lot of the reason to be optimistic about the breakout is due to a young, encouraging quarterback.
And for a few of these teams in our latest power rankings, that is indeed the case.
Power-ranking the most likely breakout teams for the 2026 season
4. New York Giants
The New York Giants bringing in John Harbaugh as the head coach was a stellar move, as Harbaugh has a long track record of success in this position, and while he wasn't able to get over the hump with the Baltimore Ravens in recent years, doesn't mean that'll be the case with the Giants.
The Giants also seemed to strike gold with Jaxson Dart. Yes, Dart does need to learn to take care of himself on the field better, but Dart did put a lot of nice throws on film and also has some neat off-schedule ability. The roster is quite solid and is good enough to compete in the NFC East. While the Giants won't make a playoff run or anything, breaking out and flirting with a winning record is on the table.
3. Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans spent a ton in free agency and overhauled many positions on the roster. They also brought in Brian Daboll as the next offensive coordinator, and his ability working with young quarterbacks bodes well for Cam Ward, who played extremely well down the stretch for the Titans.
Ward and the Titans are still a year away, as the roster isn't quite there, but Ward was making a ton of big boy throws on a dysfunctional team in 2025. With Daboll in the mix, and with the defense likely being in a good spot thanks to Robert Saleh, the Titans have what it takes.
2. Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys overhauled the defense this offseason in a series of moves that we all saw coming. As long as the defense can be around average, the Cowboys will be much better off than last year. The offense was top-tier and set to return many of the key contributors from last season.
When you couple all of this together, you'd struggle to find a notable weakness with the Cowboys. Adding a few more wins to their 2025 total is on the table. Dallas has the best quarterback in the division as well and has won the NFC East before with Dak Prescott.
1. New Orleans Saints
Going 4-1 down the stretch in 2025, the New Orleans Saints were truly heating up. The front office also got to work this offseason, infusing this offense with a ton of talent. Tyler Shough suddenly has Travis Etienne in the backfield, and a new wide receiver duo of Chris Olave and first-round pick Jordyn Tyson.
The Saints defense flew under the radar last year, and despite only winning six games, the NFC South only needed eight games to be captured. New Orleans is trending in the right direction and primed to shock the world and win the division outright in 2026.
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